Henry l



(No Model.)

H. L. NG.

CAR 0 ING.

No. 405,366. j PatentedJune 18, 1889.

:Eurtnior.

Wiinusms.

Jfuuy L.L0n y- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. LONG, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUISNIOKOYV, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,366, dated June 18,1889.

Application filed February 27, 1889. $erial No. 301,385. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. LONG, of St. Paul, in the county of Ramseyand State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Oar-Couplers, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of my invention is to provide a coupling device which at veryslight cost can be applied to the ordinary coupler-head of afreight-ear, which is automatic in its action of coupling, and by meansof which the cars can be uncoupled either from the top or side of thecar; and it consists generally in the construction and combinationhereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the adjacent ends of two freight-cars fitted with myimproved coupler. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of twoadjacent couplerheads, showing the position of the parts when arrangedfor coupling together. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the positionof parts when the heads are coupled; and Fig. 4 is a plan view andpartial horizontal section of the same.

In the drawings, 1 is an ordinary couplerhead with usual connection tothe car-body 3.

5 is a coupling-link of ordinary form and construction.

7 is the coupling-pin. This pin is made longer than the common pin,having the part 9 above the shoulder 11 preferably cylindrical andsmaller than the lower part and terminates in an eye 13, by means ofwhich a lifting-chain 15 can be attached. A small hole 17 is drilledthrough the upper part of the head directly back of the pin-hole to receive the rod 19, which is of such size as to fit loosely in said hole.The upper end of the rod 19 is rigidly fastened to one end of the arm21, which at the other end is provided with an eye, in which the upperportion 9 of thecoupling-pin is loosely held. The lower end of the rod19 is rigidly secured to the plate or link-weight 23, which is adaptedto rest upon the end of a coupling-link and to hold it pressed upon thebottom of the coupler-head recess against the counterbalancing weight ofthe projecting end. 7 The rod 19 should be of such length that it willprevent the coupling-pin being entirely removed from "the coupler-head;but will allow it to be raised entirely out of the recess or throat 25in the head, being stopped at this point by the arm 21 striking theshoulder 11, and the plate 23 striking the upper surface of the recessor throat 25, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to hold the coupling-pin inthis raised position so as to allow a coupling-link to enter the head, Iprefer to make the pin with a notch 27 on the back side, which allowsthe pin to incline backward when in the raised position, the uppershoulder of the notch resting on the top of the coupler-head, thussupporting the pin in its raised position. The weight of the rod 19 andits attachments upon the coupling-pin will always cause the notch of thepin to engage with the coupler-head when the pin is raised; but the jarof the meeting of the coupler-heads as the cars come together willdislodge the pin and cause it to drop into place in. the head. By thismeans the act of coupling is made automatic, the pin of one coupler israised and supported by the notch while the pin of the other couplerremains down engaging the link, the linkweight 23 holding the linkextended horizontally, so that it will enter the opposite head. Then asthe heads strike together the jar releases the raised pin, which dropsthrough and also engages the link.

A stray car not fitted with my improved coupler may be coupled toanother which is so fitted as readily as to any other, since my improvedcoupling-pin may be raised or released by hand as readily as theordinary pin. In order to raise the coupling-pin either to uncouple thecars or to place it in position for coupling them without passingbetween the car-bodies, I prefer to use a rod 29, eX- tendinghorizontally across the end of the car a short distance above thecoupler and arranged to rotate in suitable bearings. The arm 31 of saidrod is connected by a chain 15 or other suitable device to thecoupling-pin, so that as the arm 31 is raised by the rotating of the rod29 the pin is lifted until the notch the rod, which can be readily takenhold of by one at the side of the car.

By means of the chain 35, extending upward from the arm 31 to the top ofthe car, the operation of uncoupling may be performed by one on top ofthe car by simply lifting the pin by the chain.

The operation of coupling is performed as follows: The pin in thecoupler-head carrying the link is dropped into engagement with the link,the link-weight 23 holding the link horizontally in the position shownin Fig 2, so that it will enter the opposite couplerhead. The pin in theother head is raised up till held by the engagement of the notch withthe coupler-head, as shown in the right-hand coupler of Fig. 2. The carsare then brought together. The jar of the contact of the coupler-headsreleases the raised pin,which drops into place and into engagement withthe link which has entered the head, thus coupling the cars. Touncouple, the arm 33 of the rod 29 is depressed or the chain 35 lifted,whereby the pin is raised out of the link, or the pin may be raised byhand, the same as an ordinary pin.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-coupler, the combination of acoupling-pin having a notch for holding it in a raised position, and alink-weight loosely connected to said pin and arranged to be supportedby said pin when in its raised position, so as to leave the throat ofthe drawhead free for a coupling-link to enter, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a notched coupling-pin andlink-weightloosely connected together in such a manner that the weightof said link-weight and connections will, when the pin is raised, causethe notch to engage with the coupler-head and thus support the pin insuch position, the linkweight also being supported by the pin, so thatthe throat of the coupler-head is open to receive a coupling-link, andso that when the coupling-pin is down in engagement with the link thelink-weight has freedom of vertical movement, while the pin remainsstationary, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the coupler-head of a railway-car, of thecoupling-pin 7, having the shoulder 11 and the notch 27, the rod 19,sliding freely in the hole 17 and having at its upper end the arm 21,which connects with said pin and slides freely 011 it from the shoulder11 upward, the length of said rod 19 and of said pin from shoulder topoint being substantially equal, and the link-weight 23, rigidly securedto the lower end of the rod 19, and adapted to rest its weight and thatof the rod 19 and arm 21 upon the inner end of a coupling-link insertedin said coupler-head, substantially as described.

4. An automatic car-coupler comprising, in combination, the pin 7,having a notch 27 on one side near its point adapted to engage with thecoupler-head when the pin is raised out of the recess of the head and tosupport it in such raised position, the rod 19, arranged to move freelyin the orifice 17 and rigidly secured to the arm 21,which connectsloosely with the pin, the weight 23, rigidly secured to the lower end ofthe rod 19, and adapted to rest upon a link when inserted into thecoupler-head, the rod 2.9,turning in suitable bearings on the car-bodyand having the arm 31 linked to said coupling-pin, and suitable handles33 for operating the same, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the coupler-head of a railway-car, of acoupling-pin 7, having a notch 27 near its point adapted to rest uponthe edge of the pin-hole in the top of the head when the pin iswithdrawn as far as the notch, and to support the pin in its raisedposition, the rod 19, fitting loosely in a vertical hole in the head andadapted to slide in the same, having a plate 23 at its lower end adaptedto rest upon a coupling-pin in said head, and having the arm 21 at itsupper end, by means of which it is loosely secured to the pin, said armbeing arranged to slide upon said pin and to be stopped by the shoulder11, said rod 19 being of such length as to permit the pin to be whollywithdrawn from the recess of the head, but preventing its withdrawalentirely from the head, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the coupler-head of a railway-car, of thecoupling-pin 7, having the notch 27 and the shoulder 11, the rod 19,freely slidable in the hole 17, and having the arm 21 secured to the pin7 and adapted to rest upon the shoulder 11 and to slide freely upon saidpin above said shoulder, the weight 23, secured to the rod 19, andadapted to rest upon a coupling-link inserted in the coupler-head, thelength of said rod 19 between the arm 21 and the weight 23 beingsubstantially equal to the length of the coupling-pin from the point tothe upper side of the shoulder 11, and suitable link-connections withsaid pin, by means of which it can be lifted from the top of the car orfrom either side of the car by the additional means of a suitable rodhaving an arm joined to said link-connections, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day ofFebruary, 1889.

T. D. MERWIN, A. M. GAsKILL.

IVIO

